03 February 2013

I love my oysters so bought a ticket straight away once I found out about Shuck-fest ($69) at Bishop Sessa.Thanks to Sara from Belly Rumbles for the heads up about the event. Two hours of eating a variety of oysters freshly shucked and washed down with plenty of riesling was oyster heaven. In 2002 I once did my own Oysterfest at home and ordered 25 dozen shucked oysters (minimum order) from Salty Seas in St Helens, Tasmania. They were couriered overnight and were enjoyed with friends over a weekend but having them just freshly shucked is always a better way to enjoy their flavour and brine. I believe 120 dozen oysters were on hand for the 30 or so booked in guests and Jason Hoy from Summer of Riesling was available to answer any questions about his favourite drop.Once seated oysters were brought around and glasses of riesling topped up regularly. I love oysters so much that I could have easily eaten a dozen in seconds so when you're taking only one at a time it can get a little frustrating. Thankfully there were plenty of oysters to be had over the two hours which Will Brunker and Paul Cooper did a great job at shucking. Erez Gordon was also on hand organising the plates of oysters for service to take around. I enjoyed all the fresh oysters but the Pambula Sydney Rock Oysters and Coffs Harbour Pacific Oysters were my favourite. The cooked oyster slider worked well and the unusual oyster with chorizo and grape also seemed to work as a flavour combo. The biggest oyster challenge to open and eat were the giant Georges Bay oysters. They were cut up and wrapped with a watermelon carpaccio but I found them a little messy to eat and was more than happy with the normal sized oysters.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Great event for oyster lovers, Plenty of oysters and riesling

CONS: Having only one oyster at a time can be frustrating when you love them so much

MUST TRY: Visiting to try the Sip, Shuck n Slide oyster deal for $20

VERDICT: Great event to appreciate a variety of oysters freshly shucked but I would have preferred if a plate of oysters were left at the table so I could eat a few at a time

Oyster of the week

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Simon Leong

Passionate Sydney food blogger in search of the best dishes around the world and writing reviews to whet your appetite. Feel free to email me your recommendations of where to eat simonleong[at]hotmail[dot]com